Deep Blue Sea
by Cosifantutte
Summary: Merman!Iruka and a very lonesome Kakashi- a little melancholy, a little romance. Written as a birthday present for Iruka-sensei and for a request made by a very dear friend.


Written as both a birthday present for Iruka-sensei (Happy B'Day! ) and a request work for a good friend of mine who wanted something with Merman!Iruka.

This is a oneshot, may be followed by a prequel or sequel though, depending on the feedback and my motivation. (;

Also: Reviews are always appreciated! :D

**Deep Blue Sea**

The sea was calm, dark and deep. No fish had shown up ever since the man had left his home port, and had he been any less experienced about nights like this, he would probably be worried by now. It rarely ever happened that the sea lay this calm, but he knew better than to be bothered by his peaceful surroundings. Single waves met the wooden hull with a low ripple that ebbed away with the next drift, followed by another current, and another, and another.

Watched by the lonesome moon and his fellow stars only, the small boat made its way past a brightly lit lighthouse, its planks shining damply in the beams of brilliant luminance. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of the captain's mouth man while he slowly sunk down against the railing, drawing a slender object from his pocket. He examined it with probing looks from his one visible eye, grey like the stormy clouds he had had to face the last time he had driven out on the sea like he did tonight. Minutes passed, and the man sat slumped against the wooden rail without so much as a stir. Only his sole vivid eye kept sweeping over the fragile looking object he held firmly with both hands, expressing emotions of both painful craving and undying hope. The boat would find its way on its own, thanks to modern navigation techniques, and the man didn't bother to check its course for once.

It was his low whisper that broke the silence when he passed the last coastline, before the endless ocean was the last thing to separate him from the skyline that was glowing a fierce red right now; ceasing signs of the last daylight.  
>"Never gone… and never far" he muttered under his breath, clutching the brown material in his hands against his chest. A painful throb in his veins reminded him of how long it had been- far too long-, and the aching desire for a reunion grew as his gaze returned to the now blood red horizon.<p>

Both his bliss and his curse, the never-ending phases of separation and unity passed like the changing tides, and he never forgot the one day a month when he was able to ride out onto the ocean to reclaim what was originally his. His love, his life, his everything, that had sunken down into the depths of the ocean nearly ten years ago and would never fully return to him until they both passed away. Their natures never allowed more than a few shared hours, but these were enough for the lovers to find both happiness and fulfillment as their bonds were re-tied in the one night they shared.

A single stormy eye arched upwards in a happy bow as it caught sight of a familiar formation of stones that lay straight ahead of the small boat, and the man still situated on the floor slowly got up to his feet to keep an eye out for his goal. His lips curved up to reveal a merry smile that had been gone for the past weeks as he leaned on the railing, spray sprinkling his face with gleaming splashes over and over.  
>Still pressed tightly against his chest was the slender object that he would not allow to get wet throughout his trips.<p>

It was only when the moonlight revealed a dark silhouette below the water surface that the man's breath caught in his throat and his heart gave a heavy thud.  
>Anchor down.<br>It was time.

Finally getting nervous, the man gripped the small object in his hands very hard; eye focused on the shadow that now danced below the boat's keel- a graceful ritual that was so well known to him, yet never ceased to send shivers down his spine. Beams of dim moonlight got reflected off the human figure underneath, converting the pale glow into rainbow colored flashes of light. One of these flashes caught in a single tear that trickled down the man's cheek while his lips lifted in a relieved smile, and he embraced the fragile object still clutched against his body. He swallowed hard.  
>One moment of hesitation, then the man finally lifted the object up to rest it against his lips, exhaling softly as he observed the seemingly calm sea.<p>

It all began with a single tone, gentle and deep, flowing into a quiet melody after a second. Heights and depths took turns every now and then, floating through the darkness like fishes through the water. Their soft nature spoke volumes of the affection their creator felt in just that moment, and the melody itself climbed up to its climax when the moonlight hit the end of a glistening tail fin, long and lean.  
>Desperation and loneliness seemed to drown within the black water as the shadow finally emerged from the obscure nothingness beneath, and time seemed to stand still for a moment. Only then did a soundless sob slip from the lips of the boat's owner, just as the panpipes clattered down against the wooden floor. It took the man on the boat only a second to overcome the railing, his feet nearly catching between the metal bars as he pushed off and dove into the welcoming sea.<p>

"Kakashi."  
>Cool arms were around him in a second, catching his fall with ease. Chilly lips met his in an instant, gasping for air while refusing to draw back. A wave of hair, with the color of the dark sea underneath and the scent of home, surrounded the floating bodies like a soft cloud. Bittersweet memories came back to the visitor like they always did when he got back to where he really belonged, and he barely refrained from pressing up against the other body, so much colder than his own, to keep it close and warm it up to the point where it felt human again. A low chuckle reached his ears, and Kakashi drew back from the kiss to search for a smile, a look, anything.<br>And there it was, really, on the face of his one beloved: The corners of full lips twitched up into that crooked smile he loved so much, while dark eyes shone with relief and gratefulness, a mirror of the other's feelings and his very heart and soul. A gentle tug at a strand of Kakashi's hair, now drooping over his left eye, made the man blink in surprise.

The other man, who still kept both their weight above the water surface with ease, flashed him a beaming smile as his fingers gently combed through his lover's hair.  
>"You never grew your hair this long", came a soft murmur, "I like that." The man in question let out a shy laugh. Oh, how had he missed this voice! A little hoarse, yet so gentle and soothing. And so close…<br>Kakashi's hands moved up to cup the other man's cheeks without a merit of his own, while he leaned up against his lover and caught his lips in another deep kiss. Hot air ghosted over his lips as the other's breathing accelerated. Kakashi chuckled softly.  
>"Iruka. Like you're the one to talk." He ran one hand through the long brown waves as he moved his legs up to wrap them around his lover's waist. The cool water made him shiver slightly, and it took the other man less than a minute to figure that out. Iruka's carefree look turned steely as he eyed Kakashi from top to bottom.<br>"You're going to catch a cold", he stated, admonitory. His lips twitched disapprovingly as Kakashi tensed the hold of his legs. "Really", Iruka continued, "When are you going to grow up?"

Kakashi's stormy grey eye blinked once, then a second time. His expression grew sheepish.  
>"If growing up means leaving you, never. Also, I have about four weeks to recover."<br>Iruka sighed, his look turning soft again. A tender smile tugged at his lips.

"Well then…", the brunet's fingers brushed down Kakashi's neck and gave the man's shirt a light tug, "Are you going to keep your clothes on this time?"  
>Kakashi let out a silent chuckle and drew the soaked fabric over his head before he let go of the wet cloth and watched as it sunk down into the seemingly endless depths of water right underneath the two of them. Glistening flashes of light caught his attention, and for a moment the man watched the even movements of Iruka's tail fin that kept sliding through the otherwise flawless darkness. Gracefully, it managed to move enough water to keep both of them above the surface of the water, and thus made Kakashi admire its strength all over again.<p>

A surprisingly warm tongue brushing along his jugular drew Kakashi's attention back to his lover.  
>Iruka was close now, very close, the tip of his nose buried within the small of Kakashi's collarbone. A faint shiver spread over the pale skin as the brunet heaved a deep breath and exhaled it right on the spot he had just dampened with his tongue.<br>Iruka's smile was full of affection as he raised his head to meet the other's lips with his own.  
>"Now, love… you're getting goose bumps.", he teased. Kakashi refused to reply to that. He responded eagerly to the questioning lips of his lover instead while he pedaled with both feet to get his pants off.<p>

A long, slender hand moved up to fondle the man's pale hair, several loose silvery strands got brushed aside as Iruka moved closer again. As the brunet sucked in a deep breath, Kakashi expected another kiss and prepared to respond to that, but he was surprised once more. Iruka's lips caught his, indeed, yet Kakashi didn't receive the kiss he had been waiting for. A powerful blow from below propelled the two of them out of the water for a second and straight down into the darkness, heads first, again.  
>For a moment, Kakashi considered panicking, until he realized that it must have been Iruka himself who had brought them down underwater. His heart gave a few heavy beats. Underwater. This was Iruka's world. His living space. Impressed, Kakashi tried to crane his head to catch a few glimpses of what the deep ocean might look like but what restricted by the way Iruka's lips pressed fiercely against his. As the man's look turned confused, Iruka rolled his eyes in obvious amusement. Slowly, he opened his mouth ever so slightly to let a small breath slip from his lips to Kakashi's before locking their mouths closely again.<br>A loving smile graced the merman's features that were dimly lit against the surface of the water above before he turned the other man in his arms around to let him see what lay ahead of them.

As they glided past smaller and bigger fish, mermen and women alike, and finally dove deep enough to catch a first glimpse of what the underwater world might be like- Kakashi was pretty sure he had spotted a brightly lit tower far down and ahead of them, along with several buildings-, Iruka never forgot to turn his lover around to let him have a small amount of the oxygen that remained within his lungs. What he also did not forgot, however, was the fact that a normal human body would not survive from a certain depth on downward, and so he refrained from showing all that was home to him to his beloved.

Kakashi, however, was grinning merrily as they finally broke through the water surface again, his lips locked firmly with Iruka's, although he knew that there was no need for him to rely on the other's breath anymore. He was not going to let go until the sun rose over the ocean's even pattern of hills and valleys that were built by both waves and spray. Not even for once.  
>And even if he had to leave this place in the morning, he was going to come back in four weeks' time.<br>To claim what was his- and only his.


End file.
